Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)First of all let me say that from experience I can tell you without a doubt that we will ONLY buy Eureka brand tents because of their quality of construction, durability, and speedy ease of setup/breakdown.
I bought this tent under the Amazon review/recommendation that two queen beds would fit inside. The truth is that technically they do "fit" inside but not comfortably. When this tent arrived we set it up in the yard to make sure everything fit well together before taking it on a trip. I inflated two of our queen mattresses and put them inside. They fit *exactly* side by side with NO room between mattresses to put a lamp, gear, or even your foot. There is plenty of room at the foot of the beds for your gear but if you are like me, when you get out of bed you want to be able to put your feet down and stand up, not having to shimmy your way to the foot of the bed to crawl out at the foot of the bed. Queen mattresses are 5' wide. Together that is 10' which leaves only 1-foot of space between them which sounds like it would be okay but it isn't because mattresses with bedding are poofy and take up all the space. Period. I believe this tent would best accommodate one Queen with one Twin, or, Two doubles. In rainy weather you'd want to move your items away from the inside walls of the tent, with two Queens side by side you can't really do this so trust me, this tent is better suited for a queen and a twin.
That being said, this tent has some EXCELLENT features. The ceiling height is absolutely HUGE. I could not touch the ceiling even on my tippy-toes. The gear loft is marvelous and would be very useful. There are two vents in the ceiling and windows on all FOUR sides which I really like for maximum ventilation! I also love the high/low vent on the door. I love the interior pocket. I love the deeply pitched rainfly over the windows - serious protection from rain coming in the windows and the fact that the seams are taped as well as double sewn. Very well done Eureka! The color is gorgeous, the rainfly sparkles like a new copper penny in the sun. The mesh is ultra fine - better than any other tent I've ever owned. The tent took mere minutes to set up right out of the bag and was just as easy to break down. The zippers worked smoothly, no chance of the zipper fabric getting caught in these because there isn't any! Another finely engineered tent by Eureka! My only regret is that this tent does not come in a 13x11 size.
I want to say once again that the peaks on the rainfly are ideal for keeping wet weather away from the windows... just compare them to any other tent style to see what I mean. It's a no brainer. The ceiling height is cavernous, really excellent of them to finally make a super tall ceiling. You'll want to play basketball in there.
I also want to say that Eureka is spot-on when it comes to guy-line free tents! This tent is stable even without being staked down and there will be NO guy lines for you and the kids to trip over, not to mention never having to rely on the soil's ability to hang on to a stake. Anyone who has had their stakes come out in soft or sandy soil knows exactly what I mean! No worries with this tent!
PS: We also own the Eureka Sunrise9 which fits the teens' two twin beds beautifully and has a lot of great features. It's also a keeper!
UPDATE! Over Memorial Day weekend we ended up taking the Bitteroot on a Disney Camping trip... gave it to the kids to use as a 'spare' tent and OH WHAT FUN they had! They were able to fit 2 twin mattresses in there with loads and loads of room to spare. Even I, Mom, was envious. The tent is is giagantic and roomy inside but I personally wouldn't put two queen beds side by side in there. There was so much room in this tent it was unbelieveable. They had a lot of camp-site-friends come in to play - no problem at all and ventilation was great even with a lot of goofy kids inside. It was very easy to set up. I was skeptical because we had planned to take the 9x9 but ended up packing this 11x11 instead. This tent plus another 13x10 AND a 12x10 canopy will fit in a Disney Fort Wilderness tent site no problem!
Another Upate: This tent spent it's second trip at Hillsborough River State Park over Thanksgiving. People actually stopped by to ask about it because they watched us set it up in minutes and it's so pretty and large. They couldn't believe how big it was inside. Later that trip we added a third twin bed with no problems. This tent also took it's first rain like a champ with no leaks or odd smells. I love this bitteroot!
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Eureka Bitterroot 11-Foot by 11-Foot Six-Person Square Dome TentIdeal for weekend camping trips with family and friends, Eureka's Bitterroot square dome tent offers a spacious 121 square feet of room to comfortably sleep five to six campers. Protective enough for three-season use, the Bitterroot features four large windows to maximize air circulation for camping comfort while zippered window covers control the amount of air flow and provide privacy. No-see-um mesh will keeps out the tiniest insects. High/low door vents are featured at the top and bottom, as bottom vent drafts in cool dry air while upper opening will vent out warm moist air. A side-opening door design allows for easy access for campers to enter and exit the tent. Twin-track zippers provide separate operation of the door and window. Windows combine with large areas of permeable fabric and mesh in the roof cloth for superior air flow while minimizing condensation.
To ensure a dry and comfortable camping trip, all major seams and reinforcements are factory sealed to prevent water entry while a wrap-up bathtub floor minimizes ground level seams and will keep water out and the tent floor dry. In case you do encounter wet weather, a hooded fly on all sides protects the windows and allows for venting even while it's raining.
When packed up, the tent and its components measure 8 by 33 inches, allowing for easy transport to your camping destinations. The tent's fly and walls are constructed of a strong, UV-resistant polyester fabric while the floor's durable weave is made of heavy-duty poly oxford. With a seve-foot center height, even the tallest campers will be comfortable and move around easily.
Inside the tent, two mesh pockets, four gear loft/clothesline attachments, and a flashlight loop offer additional storage opportunities while a hanging gear loft organizer keeps small essentials close at hand and out of the way.
Designed with Eureka's StormShield features, this self-supporting, two-pole tent is quick and easy to set up with its durable shockcorded fiberglass frame, taffeta rod pockets, and clip attachments. Pole sections are interconnected with shockcords for quick set-up and to prevent lost parts. The shockcoding will also absorb and dissipate wind stress, reducing wear and tear on the tent's fabrics. A ring-and-pin assembly provides durable attachment of the tent body to the frame at the base. Storm rings on the fly, along with guylines, provide guy points in wind.
Specifications:
Style: Two-pole square dome
Seasons: Three
Sleeps: Five to six
Footprint: 11 by 11 feet
Peak height: 7 feet
Area: 121 square feet
Minimum weight: 23 pounds, 15 ounces
StormShield Construction Details:
Double-wall construction minimizes condensation build-up inside tent by allowing air to circulate between the mesh tent roof and waterproof fly.
Doors vent from the top and/or bottom, providing options for moderating air flow; warm air exits from the top and cool air enters at the bottom.
Cross ventilation through breathable interior fabric, large windows, and roof vents allows fresh air to enter and moist air to escape the tent.
High perimeter seams of the bathtub floors couple with factory taped floor seams and fly seams to keep water out.
Self-supporting frames flex to absorb and dissipate stress from strong winds.
Fabric reinforcements add an extra layer of protection to high wear and high stress areas.
Anchors for harsh weather include storm guyout rings, loops, and webs.
Nickel sliders on self-healing nylon coil zippers keep windows and doors working smoothly.
Shockcorded poles take the guesswork out of assembly, save time, and prevent lost parts.
Ring and pin assemblies make setup easy and reduce stress and abrasion where the frame and tent floor connect.
Post and grommet attachments speed set up and augment the tent’s structural integrity.
The twin-track zipper system allows door windows to operate independently of doors for convenience and ease of entry and exit.
Materials:
Floor: 210D Polyester oxford, 1000mm polyurethane coating
Fly: 75D 185T Polyester taffeta, 1000mm polyurethane coating
Walls: 75D 185T Polyester taffeta, 1000mm polyurethane coating
Roof: 75D 185T Polyester taffeta, uncoated & mesh
Mesh: 40D Polyester no-see-um
Frame poles: 12.7mm Fiberglass, 9 sections
Fly poles: 12.7mm Fiberglass, 5 sections
All fabrics meet CPAI-84 Flammability requirements
What's in the Box? Eureka Bitterroot tent, fly, poles, stakes, stuff sack
Manufacturer's Warranty Limited lifetime warranty
About Eureka Though the exact year is unknown, Eureka’s long history begins prior to 1895 in Binghamton, New York, where the company still resides today. Then known as the Eureka Tent & Awning Company, its first wares were canvas products--most notably, Conestoga wagon covers and horse blankets for nineteenth century American frontiersmen--as well as American flags, store awnings, and camping tents.
The company increased production of its custom canvas products locally throughout the 1930s and during the 1940 and even fabricated and erected the IBM "tent cities" just outside Binghamton. The seven acres of tents housed thousands of IBM salesmen during the company’s annual stockholders meeting, which had since outgrown its previous locale. In the 1940s, with the advent of World War II and the increased demand for hospital ward tents, Eureka expanded operations and began shipping tents worldwide. Ultimately, upon the post-war return of the GIs and the resultant housing shortage, Eureka turned its attention to the home front during the 1950s by supplying awnings for the multitude of mobile homes that were purchased.
In 1960, Eureka’s new and innovative Draw-Tite tent, with its practical, free standing external frame, was used in a Himalayan Expedition to Nepal by world renowned Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person documented to summit Mt. Everest only six years earlier. In 1963, Eureka made history during its own Mt. Everest ascent, with more than 60 of its tents sheltering participants from fierce 60+ mph winds and temperatures reaching below -20°F during the first all American Mt. Everest Expedition.
For backpackers and families, Eureka introduced its legendary Timberline tent in the 1970s. Truly the first StormShield design, this completely self-supporting and lightweight backpacking tent became one of the most popular tents the entire industry with sales reaching over 1 million by its ten year anniversary.
Eureka tents have also traveled as part of several historic expeditions, including the American Women’s Himalayan Expedition to Annapurna I in 1978 and the first Mt. Everest ascents by a Canadian and American woman in 1986 and 1988. In recent history, tents specially designed and donated by Eureka sheltered Eric Simonson and his team on two historic research expeditions to Mount Everest, this time in a quest for truth regarding the 1924 attempted summit of early English explorers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. During the 1999 expedition, the team made history finding the remains of George Mallory, but the complete mystery remained unsolved. Returning in 2001 to search for more clues, the team found amazing historical artifacts which are now on display at the Smithsonian.
Amazon.com Tent Guide Selecting a Tent Fortunately, there are all kinds of tents for weekend car campers, Everest expeditions, and everything in-between. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Expect the Worst In general, it's wise to choose a tent that's designed to withstand the worst possible conditions you think you'll face. For instance, if you're a summer car camper in a region where weather is predictable, an inexpensive family or all purpose tent will likely do the trick--especially if a vehicle is nearby and you can make a mad dash for safety when bad weather swoops in! If you're a backpacker, alpine climber or bike explorer, or if you like to car camp in all seasons, you'll want to take something designed to handle more adversity.
Three- and Four-Season Tents For summer, early fall and late spring outings, choose a three-season tent. At minimum, a quality three season tent will have lightweight aluminum poles, a reinforced floor, durable stitching, and a quality rain-fly. Some three-season tents offer more open-air netting and are more specifically designed for summer backpacking and other activities. Many premium tents will feature pre-sealed, taped seams and a silicone-impregnated rain-fly for enhanced waterproofness.
For winter camping or alpine travel, go with a four season model. Because they typically feature more durable fabric coatings, as well as more poles, four-season tents are designed to handle heavy snowfall and high winds without collapsing. Of course, four-season tents exact a weight penalty of about 10 to 20 percent in trade for their strength and durability. They also tend to be more expensive.
Domes and Tunnels Tents are broadly categorized into two types, freestanding, which can stand up on their own, and those that must be staked down in order to stand upright. Freestanding tents often incorporate a dome-shaped design, and most four-season tents are constructed this way because a dome leaves no flat spots on the outer surface where snow can collect. Domes are also inherently stronger than any other design. Meanwhile, many three-season models employ a modified dome configuration called a tunnel. These are still freestanding, but they require fewer poles than a dome, use less fabric, and typically have a rectangular floor-plan that offers less storage space than a dome configuration. Many one and two-person tents are not freestanding, but they make up for it by being more lightweight. Because they use fewer poles, they can also be quicker to set up than a dome.
Size Matters Ask yourself how many people you'd like to fit in your fabric hotel now and in the future. For soloists and minimalists, check out one-person tents. If you're a mega-minimalist, or if you have your eye on doing some big wall climbs, a waterproof-breathable bivy sack is the ticket. Some bivy sacks feature poles and stake points to give you a little more breathing room. Also, if you don't need bug protection and you want to save weight, check out open-air shelters.
Families who plan on car camping in good weather can choose from a wide range of jumbo-sized tents that will accommodate all your little ones with room to spare. A wide range of capacities is also available for three- and four-season backpacking and expedition tents. Remember, though, the bigger the tent you buy, the heavier it will be, although it's easy to break up the tent components among several people in your group. It's also helpful to compare the volume and floor-space measurements of models you're considering.
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